Support Matt’s Battle against Stage IV Synovial Sarcoma

Imagine you are a healthy dad - only 40 years old, on a family vacation with your kids and toss the football. You are met with some pain. You go home, it's not resolving, so you see a doctor. "It's a torn rotator cuff." You notice increasing pain and a small lump in your armpit and go back. "It's a lipoma." The lump gets bigger still. "It's just a lipoma." The pain gets really intense and the lump (now a baseball) pushes under your collarbone. You go back. "Mr. Hardy, it's you again. Maybe you should see a general surgeon for your lipoma." Pretty fed up at this point, you advocate and finally get a CT ordered. Within the hour, you learn you have not only a LARGE mass, but enlarged lymph nodes along with nodules in the lung. You are scheduled to see an oncologist right away.

12/16/24 - You learn that you not only have cancer but it is stage 4 metastatic cancer. Cancer that has been there all along. Extensive stage Small Cell Lung is the initial diagnosis.

12/16/24 - You left work for your appointment and haven't been able to return since.

Additional biopsy on the mass is read as Synovial Sarcoma and this gets confirmed by Emory. So now, do I have SCLS or Synovial Sarcoma? The answer: "It's statistically unlikely to have both," so based of clinical presentation it is Metastatic IV Synovial Sarcoma but let's keep treating the SCLC. It's a lot of hurry up, wait. I don't know. Followed by scorched earth news. Then stuff that makes no sense.

03/07/2025 - You are 3 rounds of chemo strong, 1 5-unit round of radiation down. But the treatment has all been done based off the initial diagnosis, so that mass hasn't changed at all. The positive note is the lungs have responded. Yesterday you had a new biopsy and will have this sent to Emory for molecular testing. Still waiting for all the answers so you can start the correct treatment. Waiting to learn if you have dual diagnosis or if one of the two is wrong. Still praying for a miracle as you think of your kids. There's a lot of them!

This is what we are going through. As we navigate having one salary and missed financial opportunities due to appointments and treatment. Medical care isn't cheap, and we still have 3 of our kids who are under 18 living at home. One is a 2025 GRADUATING SENIOR?? (We are a little proud.) There are a lot of expenses. We are like most of y'all, mortgage, car payments, and household bills! Friends & cancer buddies online have encouraged us to set up a GoFundMe so here I am. Life is hard for many and we would never want to take anything from anyone who would suffer for it. If you are able and you feel it in your heart to donate, it is appreciated. But more than anything we would appreciate your prayers. Matt's testimony was already a strong one and I am believing this is just another test to add to it.

Matt has really been a trouper through all of this. He concern is consistently how we will manage, how much I am taking on and not being able to provide as he has been doing. He is sure he will prevail and I love that about him!!

We stand in faith, we fight, we love you all.

3/9 - Sunday update - Matt’s still recovering from Thursdays surgery. Next oncology visit 3/13 - prayers appreciated. Thanks for sharing our fundraiser and supporting our family ❤️